Just Nakama
by p-astelmilktea
Summary: Lucy is having a hard time convincing herself that Gray is nothing more than a friend, and Gemini showing up to confuse things isn't helping.


**Just Nakama - Gray x Lucy**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima-sensei does. Cover pic is owned by Milady666 on devianart.**

**Haii there ;) I started watching FT a few weeks back, and the pairing that caught my eye most was Gray x Lucy. I know that they probably won't end up together, but I can't help it. They are just so, so, SO adorable! xD So, here's my first attempt at writing a GrayLu fic. Sorry about any OOCness and grammar/spelling mistakes you might find – feel free to point them out and I'll correct it when I can. Anyway… Hope you enjoy reading! :P**

* * *

_Gray's thoughts on Lucy: Newcomer to the guild, pretty damn cute. Somewhat interested in her. More naive than she appears, and a celestial spirit wizard__. _

Those words had been bothering her for some time now. Especially the 'somewhat interested in her' part.

Lucy had always considered Gray as her nakama, and she expected him to think of her the same. However, her recent encounter with Gemini was making her reconsider the question.

Gray had a nice body and good looks, she'll admit that. He was a decent guy (apart from his stripping habit) and though he most likely wasn't the romantic type, he wasn't as dense as Natsu and could probably understand a girl's feelings (to some extent, at least). Any girl would kill to have him as her boyfriend… Lucy just couldn't see it happening with her.

Sure, he was always saving her and protecting her from danger. They got along well and even shared a few hugs and friendly touches here and there. But that could easily pass as a show of affection from a close friend, right?

Gray was her _nakama_. Her friend, her comrade – nothing more.

At least, that's what she made herself believe.

Lucy let her eyes wander over to the dark-haired ice mage who was sitting near the back of the guild talking to Juvia. The blue-haired girl was clearly hanging on his every word, her face a mixture of bliss and adoration for her beloved 'Gray-sama'.

Speaking of Juvia… She was a powerful, mysterious and attractive water mage and Gray was an ice mage. Water and ice. Two elements that go perfectly together. Gray would obviously choose her over Lucy, wouldn't he?

She sighed and turned back to her drink, stirring it absent-mindedly with her straw.

_Damn you, Gray! Why do you have to do this to me?!_

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Mirajane's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked.

The white haired barmaid looked at her, a concerned expression written across her delicate features. "I asked you if you were alright. You were kinda spacing out."

"Oh… Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Lucy forced a smile.

"Are you sure? You look like you have something on your mind."

"No, it's nothing." She took a sip from her drink. _Nothing you need to know about, anyway._

"Really?" Mira smiled slyly. "You don't have any… boy issues?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that – wait, _what_?" Lucy gaped, her eyes widening as she realised what she just confessed.

_What is she, a mind reader?_

Mira giggled. "So who is it this time? Natsu or Gray?"

"How did you know?" Lucy demanded.

"Well, who else could it be?"

_She had a point._

Reluctantly, Lucy beckoned Mira to lean in so that nobody else could hear her confession. She quickly checked for any eavesdroppers and when the coast was clear, she whispered, "It's Gray."

Mira was positively beaming. "I knew it! So, what happened?"

When Lucy hesitated, the barmaid put on her sweetest smile and puppy eyes.

"Come on, Lucy. You can tell me. I promise I'll keep it a secret."

Lucy sighed. "It's about what Gemini told me."

Mira quirked an eyebrow. "Gemini?"

"Gemini's a celestial spirit," Lucy explained. "It can transform into any person it touches and copy their appearance, abilities… and… thoughts."

"Oh, I see!" Mira caught on quick. "So Gemini transformed into Gray?"

"That's right." Lucy nodded.

"What did he say?"

"Uhh… That's what's bothering me," Lucy shifted uncomfortably under Mira's gaze. She could feel her cheeks heating up. "He said…"

"He said…?" Mira waited.

"He said that Graywasinterestedinme." She finished the last part of the sentence in a rush. The message was unclear but Mira seemed to get it anyway, and she started jumping up and down, squealing like a five year old.

"Awww! Gray has _feelings _for you!" Mira chanted excitedly. Really, why the take-over mage enjoyed playing matchmaker so much was beyond her.

"W-Well… I'm not sure…" Lucy mumbled, a little hesitant.

"But you said Gemini can copy the person's actual thoughts, right?"

Lucy nodded slowly.

"So it must be true then. What else is there to think about?"

"Yeah… but… it just seems so impossible," Lucy argued. "The fact that Gray might like me… not just as a friend… it's just _weird._"

Mira shrugged. "If you doubt it, then why don't you ask him yourself?"

"No way!" Lucy instantly objected. "I can't do that!"

"Why not? There's no harm in asking."

Lucy groaned. "Urgh… It just won't work. Even if it's true, he might deny it."

"He wouldn't if he really likes you. Just give it a try, okay?" Mira gave Lucy a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a gentle smile. Something in her eyes made Lucy think that she knew something the blonde mage didn't.

"Okay, fine… I got it." Lucy pushed back her stool and stood up. "It's getting late… I should head home. I really want to take a warm, relaxing bath right now."

"Of course. Take care, Lucy."

"Thanks Mira. I'll see you tomorrow."

That said, Lucy turned and walked towards the exit of the guild, unaware she was being watched by a certain pair of dark blue orbs…

* * *

Lucy groaned for the millionth time that day. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the image of Gray's face out of her mind. She tried to think about other things in her life - how she was going to pay this month's rent, jobs they were going to do in the future, the remaining gold keys she still had to find… but in the end her thoughts still circled back to the same person.

She was almost stomping along the ridge by the riverside, the one she always walked on when she walked home.

As usual, one of the fishermen called out to her, "Lucy-chan, be careful you don't fall in!"

Lucy was too annoyed to reply to his warning. She was too annoyed to summon Plue, who usually accompanied her during her walks back to her apartment.

She just wanted some time to cool off.

Alone.

"Stupid exhibitionist," Lucy muttered under her breath.

"Are you referring to me?"

Lucy squeaked in horror as an amused voice came from behind. She spun around so quickly she lost her balance and fell back, towards the icy waters beneath. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the impact… only to be knocked back onto the hard concrete pavement.

Lucy opened her eyes and found herself staring into a toned, muscular chest. It was _bare_, meaning it could definitely belong to only one person.

"G-Gray!" she exclaimed, blushing as she realised how close their bodies were.

Gray gave her a crooked smile before letting go of her and standing up, dusting some imaginary dirt off his pants.

"Geez… You really are a klutz," he remarked casually.

Lucy felt a vein pop. "Well, _you _were the one who scared me!" She glared at Gray and placed her hands on her hips, trying her best to look threatening. "Who in their right mind goes stalking people and appearing out of nowhere where the poor victim least expects it?"

"Uh." Gray cleared his throat. "I wasn't _stalking _you."

"Oh, really?" Lucy raised a brow in challenge. "Then what were you doing?"

"I was just… seeing how you were doing," Gray mumbled. "I wanted to talk. It's been a while since we had some time alone together." He blushed as he realised how the last part sounded. "I mean, without flame-brain and Erza around…if you know what I mean," he amended hurriedly.

Lucy huffed. "Well, don't do it again."

Gray frowned at her irritated expression. "Lucy… Why are you mad at me?"

"Huh?" Lucy feigned innocence. "I'm not mad at you. Why would I be mad to you?"

"Don't give me that crap," Gray snapped. "You've been avoiding me all week. When I get close to you, you move away. And whenever I try to talk to you, you always manage to find some kind of distraction. Don't tell me you think I wouldn't notice." He sounded hurt.

Lucy pondered about his words. Was she really avoiding him? It certainly could be true, with her current dilemma and all, but she wasn't exactly doing it on purpose. And she never meant for him to be offended by it.

"I… I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "I didn't mean for that to happen…"

Gray's eyes softened slightly at the sincerity of her words. He sighed; the anger turning into depression. "Aren't you going to go in?" he gestured towards the door. Lucy realised that they had reached her apartment. She placed her hand on the door knob and gave it a twist, the door opened with a click. _Looks like I forgot to lock it again._

Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Gray invited himself in. She was too tired to bother yelling at him for trespassing her property. "Stay here; I'll go make some tea. And _don't _touch any of my stuff," she warned as she headed for the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, Lucy returned to the living room to find Gray sitting on _her _couch reading _her _manuscript.

"GRAY!" she shrieked, almost dropping the tea she was holding. "Stop reading my manuscript!" After placing the tea on the coffee table she stomped over to Gray and snatched the sheets of paper out of his hand. "I thought I told you not to touch my stuff!"

Gray only chuckled, much to her annoyance. "You did, but that doesn't mean I have to listen."

"Asshole!" Lucy pouted, causing Gray to grin even wider.

_There is no reasoning with this guy._

"Here," Lucy handed Gray one of the teacups and plonked herself down next to him, making sure she left an appropriate amount of space between them. If Gray noticed, he didn't comment.

They shared a companionable silence for a while, the earlier tension between them gone for the time being. The only sounds that could be heard were the sipping noises they made as they drank their tea. Lucy was the first to break the silence.

"Hey, Gray?"

"Hmm?" Gray looked up from his tea to face her, a questioning look settled upon his features.

Lucy took a deep breath. "What do you think… of me?" she asked, looking away so he couldn't see the small blush that had formed on her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" The ice mage tilted his head to the side, confused.

"L-Like… If you were asked to describe me, how would you do it?"

"Well…" Gray thought for a moment. "You're kind and thoughtful and a great friend… You're compassionate and you really care about others. You're kinda weird, no offense, but you're still a really amazing person…" He smiled a little half smile. "Is that good enough?"

_Huh… No signs of any romantic interest there. _

Lucy couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

_W-Wait a second, do I actually _want _him to like me?_

_You totally do! _A second voice popped into her head.

_What? No way! That's impossible… I can't have feelings for Gray!_

_Why not?_

_He's supposed to be my friend! Not my lover!_

_Dude, all the signs are there. You just don't realise it._

"Lucy?" Gray waved a hand in front of her face, a worried expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

Lucy blinked several times, forcing herself to snap out of her daydreaming.

"Sorry. I'm fine," she gave him a weak smile. "So…That's it?" she pressed on, secretly hoping he would say something else.

…_Ah, screw it. I do like him. Happy now?_

_So you _finally _admit it! Took you long enough!_

Damn, she was talking to herself again.

"Umm… Am I supposed to say anything else?" Gray looked kind of fidgety.

"What? No! That's not what I meant. It's just…" Lucy trailed off, not particularly sure how she should end her sentence.

"It's just what?" Gray was gazing at her intently now.

"It's just that –"

"It's just that?"

Something inside Lucy snapped. "It's just that Gemini told me you thought I was 'cute' and that you were interested in me!" she blurted out.

Gray's eyes widened.

"Ahh! I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!" Lucy repeatedly banged her head against the wall – hoping, _praying _that everything would somehow work out.

"Chill, Lucy. I would never hate you," Gray said calmly. His expression was unreadable.

_Phew. _Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"But… Who's Gemini?"

"Gemini's a celestial spirit," Lucy started explaining for the second time. She told him the exact same thing she told Mirajane, and waited for his reaction. When she didn't get one, she added, "I just wanted to ask you… personally… to see if it was true… or not."

Gray smirked at her flustered appearance. "Well, it's true that you're cute," he confessed. "Maybe even hot." His smirk grew wider as Lucy's face turned into a bright shade of crimson. "And the part about me being _interested _in you…"

He leaned in so that their faces were barely inches apart, and lifted an icy cold finger to caress her cheek. Despite the coolness of his touch, it also felt strangely warm.

Gray gave her another smirk. "What are you going to do if I say yes?"

"W-W-What?! I…I-I – " Lucy's stuttering was interrupted by Gray's lips crashing down on hers. One of his hands tangled itself in her hair while the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his chest. Lucy was shocked at first but she gradually melted into the kiss, her fingers playing with the necklace that hung around his neck.

_How can someone feel so cold yet so warm at the same time?_

After a few more moments, Lucy and Gray broke apart, both breathing heavily with flushed faces. Barely a minute had passed until Lucy started to miss his touch - she wanted to feel his lips upon hers again.

"Gray," Lucy murmured. She circled her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss onto his neck. She sighed in contentment as Gray tucked her small body against his bigger one and cradled her in his embrace.

When she looked up at Gray, he was smiling down at her with an amused expression on his face.

"What's so funny?" Lucy poked his cheek and pouted childishly, making Gray laugh.

"Nothing… I'll just take that as an 'I like you too'?"

He grinned as Lucy blushed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before leaning down to kiss her again.

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**Sooo~ How was it? Good? Bad? Horrible...? (I hope not) As you probably would've noticed, this fic was inspired by episode 58, the part when Gemini as Gray confessed he was 'interested' in Lucy. I almost died out of happiness when I watched that part, hehe~ Maybe there's still a chance for us GrayLu fans, ne? :3 Okay, anyway, I'll stop ranting now… I'll love you forever if you fill in that review part at the bottom of the page…? Yep, thank you :D Constructive criticism is accepted, but please be nice, okay?**


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